I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be scared or frustrated.

~

So, since my adventure yesterday regarding my disappearing amniotic fluid and my three hours in labor and delivery, I went back to the doctor today. The amniotic fluid is still holding at 6.1. My doctor's concern was something that everyone has overlooked up until now - the baby hasn't grown in a week. And she should be growing a half a pound a week.

So at the doctor's today, he told me that sometimes, with gestational diabetics, the concern is not that the baby is too big - it's that the baby stops to grow and is too small, that the placenta will fail. And that there comes a point where it is better to get the baby off the placenta and onto the breast/bottle.

I had been so worried about having a big baby that I had no idea that a complication of gestational diabetes is a chance of the placenta failing.

He doesn't think that he needs to induce me right now. That being said, he wants to monitor me closely - as in, twice a day. Guess where he can do that? Yup, at the hospital.

I'm on bed rest at the ever-lovin' hospital.

When I asked for how long, I was told either two weeks or until the baby comes, whichever one comes first.

Two weeks. In the hospital. On bedrest. When I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old at home.

Freaking out is not a strong enough term.

He did throw me a lifeline - that if my amniotic fluid grows, if the baby grows, they will send me home to be on bedrest there. However, the chances of that happening are probably not great.

Thank God that my husband is off work right now, so I don't have to worry about the kids.

And thank God for my sister and my friends, who are on call in case my husband has to drop everything and run to the hospital so he can help me have a baby.

Thank God for my friends who are feeding my family while I'm gone, who texted/called me to say that they are praying/thinking of me, and who have offered to watch my children. I appreciate all of you soooooooooooo much.

So now I just have to rest, take care of Baby Girl, and hope to God that I don't go out of my mind with boredom.

Boys Versus Girls

~
Boys are simple. For example, here is what my son has in his closet, shoes-wise.


A pair of brown shoes, a pair of black shoes, and a pair of sandals. Done.

Girls, on the other hand, apparently need more choices. For example, Girlie's shoe choices....

Boots, water shoes, slippers, brown mary janes, black mary janes, pink mary janes, light up sandals, a pair of Tinkerbell flip flops, a pair of Ariel flipflops (not pictured. And both pairs are purple... sigh), a pair of princess sneakers and a pair of rainbow sneakers (not pictured). 11 pairs of shoes.

And I'm only responsible for buying her 3 pairs of those.

But I really can't judge too harshly. My husband has 4 pairs of shoes. I have 30.

Hmmmmmm.... I wonder if my husband is going to get a baby for Father's Day?

~
I had my second fetal diagnostic today. The gap in Baby Katie's brain is shrinking - hurrah! And then the nurse asked: "Do you happen to know what the level of your amniotic fluid was at your last ultrasound?"

Being a total controlling freak, I did. "Ten centimeters a week ago. Eight on Monday," I told her.

"You are measuring under five now," she informed me. "Let me go get the doctor."

See, under five is too low. Thankfully, I am at the point in my pregnancy where having a baby right now would not be detrimental to her - hopefully. Baby Girl would be small, and she would probably have to stay in NICU, but on the whole, both Momma and Baby would probably be okay.

The doctor came in and measured my amniotic fluid. She got a 6.1. Then they asked me if my water broke. "I don't know," I honestly said.

"Have you had any back pain?" the doctor asked.

"Of course I have, I'm 35 weeks pregnant."

"Contractions?" she persisted.

"My last non-stress test showed I was having Braxton-hicks."

Apparently, I answered the questions wrong, because I ended up strapped to a machine at the hospital in Labor and Delivery at 3 in the afternoon. The doctor just wanted to "keep an eye on me" to make sure "my membranes weren't leaking."

At that point, several thoughts began to swirl around my stressed out and panicked brain:

1. My kids were with a sitter who was expecting me home at 2:30.
2. My last day of school is tomorrow.
3. I had to create, print, and mail 24 report cards by 5 pm today.
4. The baby clothes are still in storage.
5. The car seat is still in the box.
6. The changing table is still in Boyo's room.
7. I didn't have a hospital bag packed.
8. My mom, who was coming to watch the kiddos when I give birth in 28 days, is in Denver.
9. And I really had to pee.

So, being the anal retentive planner that I am, I flew into full organizational mode. I called my boss and explained the situation. Report cards and last day of school, check.

I called the sitter and my sister. Between the two of them, they watched my kids. Check.

My husband said if we had the baby tonight, he would go home and move furniture, pull down baby clothes (and wash them), and set up the car seat. Check.

I wrote out a detailed list of what I would need for the hospital bag (not the pink shirt, the fuschia one), for my husband. He rolled his eyes. I called my sister and read the list to her - she packed the bag. Check.

It's not 4:30 and the doctor came in with test results. Negative to the water breaking. She did an exam. It all looked good. So now what?

My amniotic fluid levels are still low. I am on bed rest for the time being. I have to go back in for another ultra sound on Friday. The doctor's exact words: "Hopefully we can cook you through the weekend, and you will have another ultra sound on Monday. Try to drink water. Not that drinking water has anything to do with your amniotic fluid level, but we like to tell you to do something so it sounds like we know what we are talking about. Go home and make a dent in your couch. Your husband is in charge. And don't worry."

She just put my husband in charge and she expects me not to worry?

I'm kidding(-ish). I know he can handle it. But my Type A, anal retentive personality won't let anyone other than me be in charge.

So all I can do is wait. And not worry.

I asked how long I would be on bed rest; how long they would wait until they took the baby. The doctor shrugged. "Depends on the test results tomorrow."

Great.

Wordless Wednesday

Why You Shouldn't Go to the Dentist Until You Are Four

~
This past week, I made sure that the kids and I got into the dentist.

I should say, I hate the dentist. Just the thought of going makes me break out into a cold sweat and sitting in that chair makes my toes curl.

But I didn't want to frighten my children, so I pretended that going to the dentist is fun and not akin to picking up dog poo.

I prepped them for this trip by reading the We're Going to the Dentist book about a bazillion times a day, driving them by the dentist's office, and bribing them with balloons.

And my hard work paid off. Sort of.

Girlie did great.

Boyo bit the dentist.

I couldn't get a picture because I was too busy making sure he didn't draw blood.

Happy Fourth Birthday Girlie!!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest,
happiest,
funniest,
lovingest
four year old Girlie I know! I love you, Punkin Pie!

10 Things to Teach Your Daughters

I just finished You're A Good Mom (and Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either): 14 Secrets to Finding Happiness Between Super Mom and Slacker Mom by Jen Singer. I highly recommend it - hilarious, insightful (sometimes a bit too insightful, as I am in the middle of crazy birthday party planning while 34 weeks pregnant), and real.

And I had to share her list for the important things your daughter needs to know in life:

"1. Never get your eyebrows waxed by a woman who draws hers on.
2. Cute shoes can be like St. Bernard puppies: adorable at first, but rather cumbersome later.
3. Never ask a man what he's thinking, because chances are it has to do with bacon double cheeseburgers or Mythbusters -- and not you.
4. The women you read about in history book -- the real role models -- wore underwear in public.
5. You can wear cleats and pumps in the same day, and look great in both.
6. Stove, dishwashers, vacuums, and other such appliances are gender-neutral.
7. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but a cat is nicer to curl up with at night.
8. If someone says, "You throw like a girl!" reply, "Thank you!"
9. The stomach flu is not a diet plan.
10. Try to picture what that tattoo would look like on Grandma's breast before you get one that will last the rest of your life. "

Singer, Jen. You're A Good Mom (and Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either): 14 Secrets to Finding Happiness Between Super Mom and Slacker Mom. Source Books: Illinois, 2008.

Great. Now I can't even watch the news.

~
"Mommy, what is a wiener?" Girlie asked without looking up from her coloring. Boyo was asleep and I was multi-tasking - checking email, folding laundry, and watching CNN which was covering Representative Anthony Weiner's sex scandal.

"Uh, it's a penis," I asked.

Before I could ask where she heard the word (since it's one we don't use in our household), she pointed to the TV.

"So that guy is a penis?"

I have no words.

Toddler Translations

~
1. "I fly Mommy"
- If you are in same room as my son, please grab him before he jumps off the couch/table/bed/window sill. If you are not in the same room as my son, please bust your a#$ to get there so you can catch him.

2. "Nothing!"
- This normally follows my question, "What are you doing?" when it dawns on me that it has been too quiet in the playroom. A nothing response means busting your a@# to get to the playroom to clean up whatever mess they have created.

3. "Not me!"
- The name of my children's invisible friend who has created the mess mentioned in number 2.

4. "OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" (from Boyo)
-You didn't get into the room fast enough when he said he could fly (see Number 1). On another note, "OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" from Girlie means Boyo has just hit/bit/pinched/jumped on his sister.

5. "I didn't do it!"
-Oh, yes you did.

6. "I love you Mommy."
-What did you just do? And where is your brother/sister?

7. "I do it! I do it!"
-Be prepared to add an hour onto your timeline for today, Mom, while I try to dress/feed/clean up after myself.

8. "I want a snuggle."
-If I lie in my bed for another minute, I might fall asleep. So I have figured out the one thing I can say to you that will keep me awake and make you feel like a complete ogre if you say no to me.

9. "I naked Mommy."
- Yes, yes you are. Did you really need to strip down to your skin at the Farmer's Market?

10. "I'm just looking at it!"
-But watch out, because the moment your back is turned, I'm taking the permanent marker to your freshly painted wall.

11. "I'll get it for Brother."
-I really want it for myself, so if I can just get my hands on it....

12. "Uh-oh."
-Take a deep breathe and steel yourself. It's going to be ugly.

Wordless Wednesday